Forum Discussion
Matrix vs Pivot Table
Hello,
Any idea why a matrix in Power BI would not show the same result as a pivot in excel? The excel is reading from the Power BI dataset published in the service.
Looking at the table in Power BI I confirm there are no blanks in Cost Center:
Thoughts?
Turns out there was blank rows. Not sure how I missed them, especially since I check with the filters.
Thanks all!
3 Replies
Hi Aron_Moore
The blank cell actually represents the total items , you could change the option setting if you’d like to show the same visual as Matrix:
Uncheck the “Classic PivotTable Layout”
Best regards,
Dina Ye
Turns out there was blank rows. Not sure how I missed them, especially since I check with the filters.
Thanks all!
The blank row explanation in the accepted solution is correct. Worth adding a broader note for anyone landing here: even when the results match, Power BI Matrix and Excel Pivot Table behave differently in key ways that matter for Finance reporting:
- Matrix layout is locked after publishing users can't drag fields like Excel pivot
- Subtotals in Matrix always aggregate numerically can't show calculated rows like Gross Margin % inline
- No built-in variance column button requires writing DAX per metric
For teams that need the Matrix to behave more like an Excel pivot (drag-and-drop after publish, built-in variance), Flexa Tables on AppSource closes these gaps
